Common resident breeding species and winter visitor.

In the late nineteenth century Mallards were uncommon as a breeding species in Hertfordshire. They were later described by Sage (1959), “as breeding by small ponds in the Stevenage area”.

They are now found by any of the town’s ponds and at Fairlands Valley Lakes, where the population increases in winter.

The largest flock recorded at Fairlands Valley Lakes is 325 during the WeBS Count for February 2012.

30 were seen by the pond at Astonbury House on 16 February 1968 and c.80 were regularly found at the Town Centre Gardens in 1978 and 1979.

They were confirmed as breeding in three of the tetrads covering Stevenage in the 1973 Breeding Atlas, eight in the 1992 Atlas and, from five in the 2012 Atlas.

The 2012 Winter Atlas recorded their presence from eight of Stevenage’s tetrads.

At Watery Grove between 1972 and 1999 (with the exception of, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1982, 1983, and 1999), their presence or breeding territories, was recorded by the Common Bird Census with a maximum of three territories being held in 1987.

Other interesting records: eight were seen at the Old Sewage Works (now the Roaring Meg Retail Park) on 31 December 1967; a pair seen at the Moat in Whomerley Wood during March and April 1969; a pair prospecting in the middle of Box Wood on 12 April 1980; duck and three eggs found in a tree stump at Watery Grove in 1980.